Fallen Devimon's saga: Redux
by Birdboy
Summary: A torn digital world, the barriers protecting it from darkness broken... Half the chosen broken, the others too weak to stop him, it seemed the digital world was doomed... Next in timeline that began with Fallen Devimon's saga. Hiyako, Sokeru.
1. Default Chapter

Author's notes: This is a sequel to Fallen Devimon's saga and the various sequels to that, I'm tying the plot threads back together and finally trying to create an excellent epic, but I think the story works rather well without having read the earlier parts, I think it's easy to jump into at least… A few things, like Lady Devimon's backstory, will seem a bit confusing though if you haven't read it… Also, I must point out that the Panjyamon mentioned is the adventure Leomon evolved, to minimize confusion.

_The digital world was in pain. Once more, for the third time in six years, its surface had been ravaged by war. Devimon had returned from the dark whirlpool, the chosen children seemed almost powerless. Sure, some had awakened new strength, but it never seemed to be enough, and so many more had met their deaths in this war._

_And just when things were beginning to look in their favor, Seiryu's spawn was killed in battle, and the barrier between worlds had been shattered._

Yamato still didn't understand why that dragon had done what he did, causing Seiryu so much sorrow that the gate could no longer hold, letting the worlds of darkness flow together with this one, not to mention losing the one shot at Fallen Devimon that he had... And for what, so that he could live? It didn't make any sense to him, what was so important about his life to the digital world? Even if he was a chosen, why did he need to survive?

Still, times were grave indeed, and he couldn't exactly give up, so using a D-terminal that he was given by the one thought to be the Grey Lord, he called for the chosen to gather once more…

"Oniisan…" Takeru said, reading the message… "Does Lady Devimon still grasp your soul?"

"Shall we go, Takeru-kun?" Sora asked, looking over his shoulder…

"I don't trust him at all… But whether or not it's a trap, he has Iori-san captive, and he's still my brother… Maybe this way I can turn him back to good…" He said, his voice finally one of certainty, if not confidence… "But let's not let him know of Hououmon just yet, we must always be prepared…"

"Takeru-kun… You trust him so little now?" Sora asked, empathy more then anything marking the tone of her voice…

"You saw it too, didn't you? He may be my brother, but…"

"I know…" She replied, putting a comforting hand on him…_ He hates the powers of darkness so much, even the bond he had with Yamato-san didn't hold up… I know it's needed, but to harbor so much hatred for one you once cared about so much, to be willing to kill them to save the world? It's not a position I'm envious of… _

"Hikari-chan? You're wounded, you shouldn't go… Besides, it could be a trap…" Angewomon said, Hikari's wounds seeming as if they would never heal, but instead be Phantomon's permanent scar…

"I won't say I should… But I have to…" The bearer of light said, and Angewomon nodded understandingly…

"Ken-chan?" Wormmon asked, as the chosen looked over his D-terminal…

"We're going now… If I become the Kaiser again, so be it."

And so the surviving chosen gathered for the first time in so very long, once more with the task of stopping a horrible evil at hand… Once more preparing for a battle that could not be won...

"Oniisan, why have you called us here?" Takeru asked, still unsure of how to proceed…

"I have grave news to report… Fallen Devimon has returned, the Grey Lord was slain, and the seal that separates the worlds has been annihilated. The digital world is in great danger…" He said, his voice holding a foreboding tone…

"I don't deny that the worlds no longer are as separate as they once were…" Takeru responded darkly, remembering his conflict with Demon, a creature from the dark ocean breaking so easily into the digital world… "But Fallen Devimon couldn't have survived that blast… Infinity is the center of File Island, from which the digital world sprang forth, and that could have thwarted the seal…" He added, thinking… "But to take advantage of this and try to make us sacrifice all our forces in an obvious trap, you've fallen even further to darkness then I thought…" He added angrily, preparing a spell…

"If he was with the darkness, it was with Lady Devimon, and Lady Devimon is evil no more…" Hikari said, finally seeing Takeru again after so very long… "I think Yamato can be trusted, we have nothing more to fear from him…"

"I want to believe you, I really do, but… That sort of digimon doesn't turn to the light, and Yamato's statements make no sense… Even if Fallen Devimon lived, there's no way he'd be crazy to assault the Grey Lord, and there's no reason the Grey Lord would throw his life away to save someone like him… I know he's tried to concoct a good story, but he's lying through his teeth…" Takeru responded coldly, glaring at his older brother… "Let's go, there's no reason to listen to him try to lure us to our deaths…"

"No, wait…" Angewomon said, looking up onto a nearby… "She's here…" The angel digimon said cryptically, as something large and black seemed to stumble and regained it's footing…

"You're not with the darkness anymore, are you?"

"Feh, I've not turned from darkness, I just wanted to help Hikari out, it's only fair after what she did for me…"

"Baka. Hikari is the light, just as much as Dagomon is the darkness." Angewomon responded angrily, as the others turned their attention to the succubus digimon…

"Hikari? You're talking with a demon like her in such a casual manner and accepting her loyalty, convinced she's joined your side?" Takeru said coldly, as the bearer of light looked on sympathetically at Lady Devimon... "And here I was, thinking you were of the light. Youdisgust me, traitor." He added, a hint of irony in his voice as he said Hikari's name…

"Perhaps _you_ don't realize that there's more to the darkness then having torn black wings…" Hikari responded, and then Takeru departed, cold-hearted as ever…

"Forgive Takeru's foolishness… I have to convince him… If Devimon reveals himself, tell me quickly..." Sora responded, rushing after the bearer of hope…

"Yamato-san, I believe you at the very least… We must move quickly, Devimon's not going to get weaker then this." Hikari responded, bowing… "Where is he?"

"Overdell, last I heard. But I don't think he'll be picking through the ruins for long… We need some spies."

"Spies, you say?" Lady Devimon asked, a few Bakemon emerging…

"Very well then… Please, Lady Devimon, track down his location, he must be stopped!" Hikari begged, fearing once more for the digital world's fate, and even Panjyamon nodded in agreement, knowing that sometimes you had to align with the lesser of two evils, and there was always the possibility Hikari was right… Koushirou, always the tactician, had little doubt Lady Devimon would at least oppose Fallen Devimon, but whether they together had the strength… That, he was unsure of… Mimi tended to be too trusting to begin with, distrust was not in her nature. Miyako's first loyalty was to Hikari and she would go by her thoughts in this, as for Ken, he was the former Kaiser and had turned to darkness so very recently, and even though he wasn't convinced, who would ever take his advice? And as for Iori…

"Yamato speaks the truth about Fallen Devimon's survival, I saw it myself…" Iori said, remembering that fateful battle… "But I don't think taking his advice is wise, we have more to do then just bringing about Fallen Devimon's death, the gate between worlds is as wide as it's ever been, and this isn't just the human world's gate…"

"You're right… **He** called for me again a few days ago, and Sora mentioned something about Demon laying siege to Factorial…" Hikari spoke, the fear in her voice leaving, to those who knew of the dark ocean's master, no doubt to whom "he" referred to…

"So he does live… Still, sealing the gate once more is far more important, I will not let even more like Ogremon into this world!" Panjyamon yelled angrily, drawing his frozen sword…

"It's not that easy… Unless Qinglongmon returns from his sorrow, there's no way to seal the gate…" Koushirou answered, looking at his computer with horror in his eyes… "Basically, we're all doomed…"

"In case you've forgotten, you have an ultimate on your side…" Lady Devimon said from her perch, still determined to at least aid Hikari, if nothing else…

"Digimon like you can't be trusted, but right now we need all the allies now we can get…" Miyako responded, and so they departed, all of them ready to fight the darkness, all of them fighting a battle that, even with who they had assembled, still could not be won…

But back in Factorial Fortress, Takeru's hatred of his brother and the darkness he still served (Or so he believed) had not diminished, not even by the slightest bit… "I still can't trust anyone but Sora-chan…" Takeru said, putting a hand to his cheek… "Oniisan's still engulfed by darkness, and worse, the gate's been destroyed, with all the creatures of darkness flooding into this world, we're all doomed, there's no other way to put it… I can't save this world…" He said sadly, resting his head… "I wanted to save the digital world, I really did, but the darkness was just too strong… Forgive me, digimon of the world, I've failed you…"

"Takeru-kun…" Sora said, looking over sympathetically, knowing that feeling of failure all too well… "I know what you've been through…" She added, throwing her arms around the golden-haired bishounen…

"Sora-chan… I thank you…" Takeru responded, returning her embrace… "But I've still failed this world, I couldn't even stop my own brother from falling to darkness…" He responded sadly, Sora's arm catching his tears…

"Maybe... But you're the bearer of hope… You shouldn't give up like this, it's never too late, right?"

"That was a long time ago… We all sacrificed our crests, hope won't save the world this time…" Takeru responded sadly, grabbing his empty, shattered tag…

"You're wrong… My love was what brought Hououmon into this world… And if I can do that, then your hope could bring Seraphimon as well…" Sora responded kindly, but Takeru's hope would still not return…

But though Takeru still suffered, Koushirou remained depressed and hopeless after Kabuterimon's death, and only a strong sense of duty stopped Yamato from forgetting the battle and hopelessly searching the ruins of Infinity for Gabumon's digitama, at least the others would fight… If only it would be enough…

But Piccolomon's words rang as true as ever… The chosen would need to unite, divided, they wouldn't stand a chance… And as Hikari, Miyako, Mimi, Panjyamon, Ken, Iori, and the broken Yamato went to stop Fallen Devimon, their defeat was assured from the start, the only question was how badly they'd suffer… But not one of them knew how horribly beaten they would soon be, even with Lady Devimon fighting on their side, not one of them realized that defeat was certain… It may not have been intended as a trap by Yamato, but in the end, it might as well have been just that…

"Bakemon, report…" Lady Devimon ordered, anxious to know where Fallen Devimon had gone…

"Fallen Devimon's in Overdell…" Bakemon said fearfully, as Lady Devimon realized what exactly was meant by "Overdell" and a horrible realization came over her… "No, not there!" She cried out, as far away, the Grey Lord's disciples turned to darkness, and the greatest collection of arcane lore in the digital world was in Fallen Devimon's hands… "The battles at Infinity and Dragon Eye were all for nothing… He's returned, stronger then ever before…" The succubus said sadly, realizing that even with Mugen Dramon by her side, she couldn't count on victory… "We're all doomed, he can't be stopped…"

But the attack continued anyway, even if it would prove futile, as not one of them was willing to stop… Even if they didn't stand a snowball's chance, it was still the best one they'd get, and so they flew to Overdell, and Mugen Dramon let loose his powerful blast… And it was repelled, as if it were one of Agumon's flames, not the attack which had killed thousands of Numemon in that horrible, horrible battle so very long before…

"Impossible…" Hikari said, remembering what Mugen Dramon could do more then anyone, the sight of that genocide never leaving her mind… "Let's go, sticking around now will only bring us death…"

"I won't leave him!" Angewomon said angrily, drawing back her bow… "You've caused enough pain to this world! Heaven's arrow!" The six-winged angel yelled, and the shot from the heavens flew, but with one flap of Fallen Devimon's dark wings, fluttered to the ground…

"Hell's beam of destruction!" A beam of pure darkness, blacker then the wings of a Devidramon, shot towards the angel of light, piercing her wing, and she fluttered to the ground…

"Takeru… Even when I break this attack, I still can't avenge myself…" Fallen Devimon said longingly, but even if he wasn't content, he was more then willing to fight the chosen and the digimon that had aligned themselves with them…

"You should really be focusing on the battle at hand… Darkness Wave!"

"Booster Claw!" Lady Devimon and Mugen Dramon attacked, timing their attacks well, and with a distracted Fallen Devimon, the second attack certainly did its fair share of damage. Wounded, Fallen Devimon put a hand to the ground and forced himself back to his feet, his mighty wings blocking any attacks from behind that would come his way, his tentacles quickly ensnaring Lady Devimon before she could react…

"Crystal Cloud!" A Sorcerymon spoke passively, moving his staff of ice upward, and showing that it really is amazing what a magic-user can do given the right training and a distracted opponent, though certainly some things are more vulnerable to ice then others… Anyway, Mugen Dramon was encased in a block of sheer ice, and if defeat had not been clear beforehand, it certainly was now…

But this was not just some video game, where a reset button could simply be pushed when disaster was inevitable… This was a battle of life and death, and with Angewomon wounded and unable to fly, Mugen Dramon encased in ice, and the demon's tentacle wrapped around Lady Devimon's leg, even retreat to attack later would be quite difficult indeed…

"Go! Take Angewomon and get out of here!" Lady Devimon yelled, using her bats to shield the angel… _Hikari, I've finally repaid you… Please live, Angewomon, for her sake…_

"_She's forgotten completely about vengeance… I've done what I'm meant to do…_"Hikari thought, but felt none of the pleasure she should, gathering up her digimon as they retreated, the attack a dismal failure…

But in the skies over what used to be the Grey Lord's mansion before his fall, the screams of pain could still be heard, as yet another digimon lost so much to save the chosen, the chosen that seemed incapable of saving this world…

"Why the hell do they keep doing this? We're not going to save this world, we can't…" Yamato said sadly, remembering the Grey Lord's fall… "The darkness is too strong… We can't win…"

And with the bearer of hope himself drowning in darkness, there was none to state anything to the contrary… Even Hikari shared their pessimism, even with all the power Angewomon had, even if she had single-handedly turned one of the horrible evils to the light, even she had no faith in victory… And when hope and light both had their spirits crushed, who would save the digital world?

It certainly seemed like none would… And so they retreated, beaten so horribly they couldn't even think of a new plan of attack, and for now, all they could bring themselves to do was mourn…

And back in Factorial Fortress, a grim, foreboding filling shot through Takeru… "They lost… They all fought valiantly on the same side, but they still lost…" Takeru said, a tear dripping down from his eye… "We can't win…"

And in Devimon's lair, even if he had triumphed, Fallen Devimon was no more pleased then the defeated… "Takeru… I have to lure out Takeru, else this revenge will all be for nothing…" He said, and then added a maniacal laugh for good measure… "Sorcerymon… Locate the bearer of hope, and find out why the chosen left him in reserve…" He ordered, and the mage obliged…

But the fortress was well hid indeed, and all the Sorcerymon could say was that, as far as he could tell, Takeru was not even on File Island… "You couldn't find him? He's in hiding, it can't be helped, I just need to find a way to lure him out to fight me…" The demon said, and then grinned… "I have an idea… After all, it did bring him out last time, and this time his allies are greatly weakened… Attack the village of beginnings!"

"Destroy the digitamas?" The Sorcerymon asked, wondering what sort of a demon this new master of his was, and Fallen Devimon casually tossed a black gear, and the mage complied…

"He's going after the village of beginnings?" Takeru asked rhetorically, and the look on his face made it clear that this was the worst possible thing he could have done… "We can't evacuate them, it's the only place in the digital world where the digitamas can hatch… We have to stop him, if he destroys the village…" The blonde warrior said, a horrible chill coming over him… "There's nothing else preventing him from stalling, and if he gets enough time to learn those spells, I fear no world will be safe…"

"But how?" The auburn-haired girl asked, her voice as saddened as Takeru's… "Hououmon's strong, but we don't have a force half as powerful as the one Yamato assembled, and they're too exhausted to keep fighting…"

"I don't know… But if we don't take a stand here, we won't have any chance at all…"

"I think I have something to help you…" An armored digimon looking quite like a Leomon said, appearing without anyone taking notice…

"Leo-san? You're trusting humans again?" Andromon asked, the android digimon having heard enough of his past to be utterly baffled by this.

"No, not trusting. But I know the value of a phoenix on my side as much as anyone, and right now, our best hope lies with the chosen, so we might as well reinforce them." The Grappleomon explained, though he didn't believe his own words.

"C'mon, admit it, you're putting your faith in humanity again." Andromon gently taunted, finally showing something more then a dourly serious tone, but the lion refused and looked away. Still, it amounted to the same thing, and they found themselves with the biggest army ever assembled on File Island ready to come to the aid of the Village of Beginnings, hoping desperately it would be enough…

And so the battle started, and Fallen Devimon recoiled instinctively as he glared at the golden phoenix digimon… "Hououmon? Sora's digimon has reached her Ultimate stage?" He asked, remembering what a phoenix digimon was capable of… "Maybe the chosen can win a victory after all. But love is the source of its power, and when the love is broken, so it shall be as well." He said, a clawed hand to his chin… "And Takeru's always been vulnerable… If I can use Angemon properly, Hououmon is useless… Neither one of them realizes that their bond is the only thing that could summon her… Mwahahaha!" Fallen Devimon yelled out, retreating from the battle, but still terrifying them just the same…

"Was that fear? Is Fallen Devimon afraid of Hououmon?" Takeru asked, remembering how that demon had not even feared Angemon in that fateful battle… "Impossible, but… I know what I saw. What about her made Fallen Devimon so terrified? What power does she have to bring someone as strong as Fallen Devimon so much fear?" Takeru wondered aloud, still fearing that digimon far too much to believe he had a chance…

"But how?" Fallen Devimon wondered, flying back from the village of beginnings… "How do I turn Angemon to darkness, how do I make him act on his feelings for Takeru? How do I make him believe Sora is the enemy, and that Takeru's being drawn further and further to darkness?" He thought, and then stopped his flight suddenly… "Oh, _that _would be perfect…" He added, a sinister grin encompassing his face… "Yes, _that_ would certainly work… Takeru will indeed pay for the years he sent me to the dark whirlpool, and even if he gets a bit of happiness at first, Angemon too shall suffer… This should be fun."

And in the halls of Factorial, Yamato still mourned... His sorrow too much to bear, he left for the ruins of infinity, hoping that maybe, maybe if he found Were Garurumon's digitama… Maybe then he could end his sorrow, though Takeru and Ken did provide example to the contrary, he had to try…

And as Yamato left, Angemon stood upon a roof in factorial, waiting… "Pidmon, why did you call me here?" He wondered, looking down at Takeru and Sora in loving embrace, as the white and pink angel flew gently down…

"Angemon. I have grave news to report…" The Pidmon began sadly, Angemon hanging on every one of his words… "The crest of love… The holder of love may indeed love, but at a price… For the crest to reach its full power, it will soon absorb the subject of her feelings…"

"What you're saying, in other words, is that for Hououmon to continue fighting, Takeru will soon die, is that it?"

"Yes, I indeed fear this is the case…" The Pidmon responded sadly, as Angemon cast a look of longing at his chosen.

"Takeru's sacrifice would still fulfill the prophecy Devimon feared." Angemon said coldly, and from under his broken helmet, his eyes could be seen narrowing… "If you were not so clearly a disguised Bakemon, I'd be quite torn indeed by this. Heaven's Knuckle!" He yelled out, and the "Pidmon" was destroyed in a burst of light.

_Still, I do feel for Takeru… Were the disguise any less obvious, I'd have believed him… I know I'll try to win his love once more, given the slightest excuse, and I know Devimon will take advantage of this… So why can't I stop, why can't I just forget my feelings for him?_

"Because you're his digimon…" Piyomon responded, fluttering by as if reading his thoughts… "All of us are bonded to our partner that way, impossible though it may be… That's the curse of having a human partner, your love will always go unreturned…"

"Piyomon… You're right… I can't change this, I just wish that Devimon couldn't so easily exploit it… Their bond is the only thing enabling you to reach your final form, if Takeru loved me instead, nothing would stand in Fallen Devimon's way…" Angemon answered sadly, imagining the horrors of Devimon's reign… "I just wish there was some other way…"

"We all do, Angemon, we all do…" Piyomon responded, showing a sorrow most thought she incapable of having… "It's the curse all digimon with a human partner must bear…"

And Yamato continued walking to infinity, drowning in his sorrow… "Takeru hates me now, not that I blame him… Even after all we had been through, even though Gabumon's first evolution was because I had to protect Takeru, I betrayed him for what, the love of a succubus? It may have turned out fine, but… I failed him, there's no other way to put it… And Gabumon, Seiryu, both of them sacrificed themselves for me, as if I'm worthy of life now…" He said regretfully, and continued walking onward, the darkness within evergrowing…

And so even though they had scattered throughout File Island, the minds of the chosen were as one, all waiting and mourning... Only Takeru and Sora seemed able to find any happiness whatsoever, but the rest merely drowned in different sorrows... It would only be a matter of time until Ken's gentle spirit was crushed and the Kaiser rose up again, before Hikari would became the bride of that "dark undersea master" the Hangyomon spoke of… For all the battles they had fought, all the digimon that had died, it still seemed that the light of good would only shine in a small part of factorial, and that the rest of the digital world, now that the gate had broken, would go straight to hell…

But still Miyako stood on a balcony above the mechanized city, determined… "I will protect Hikari… I made a promise, and besides…" She added, a smile breaking on her face, "After all she's done for me, how could I not help her? I won't let the darkness take her, not Dagomon or any others…" And maybe, just maybe, Miyako's stubborn determination would be enough…


	2. Our one remaining hope

Miyako Inoue… One of the so-called "02 chosen" having first gone to the digital world to fight the Kaiser. Weak, requiring jogress for her digimon to reach even the perfect level, never having had reached its final stage… And of course, also flirtatious and utterly insane to a degree never seen in any others needed to protect either world.

Miyako Inoue, the sole remaining light in the digital world, even after events that brought Hikari herself to sorrow. Miyako Inoue, the protector of the light. Miyako Inoue, the digital world's savior.

And it was Miyako who stood watching over Factorial now, finally showing what she was known for once again… "Dark forces of the digital world, hear me! You don't stand a chance, I'll crush anyone who tries to hurt Hikari or disturb the peace of the digital world!" Miyako yelled excitedly, pointing a finger at the darkness… To the left of her, Hawkmon sweatdropped and wondered why he had to be stuck with the mad one among of the chosen…

"And to think when I first met her, she didn't even want to fight… This world has truly changed her…" Hawkmon mused, and then was berated by Miyako for not perching by her side as she began her dramatic poses needed to ward off evil…

From the room adjacent to the balcony, Hikari rested, pleased that at least Miyako would fight… "She did make a promise… I'm glad Miyako-chan stuck to it, we'll need her…"

"That's right… At least she won't slip, even if I haven't always liked her… I do fear for Angemon though…" Angewomon said sadly, understanding more then anyone what those gazes at the bearer of hope meant… "And I could easily have ended up the same way…" She added, smiling as she glomped the wounded Hikari…

"That's right… Fallen Devimon will take the first chance he gets, and when that happens…" Angewomon said, not wanting to think of what would happen after that… "It's odd, but it seems he's willing to even give Angemon a bit of happiness before he finally exacts his revenge…"

"It's because of Hououmon. It seems that love really does triumph over all." The bearer of light said, smiling and kissing her digimon, as Angewomon lost herself in bliss…

But for all the happiness they felt, all the others could do was merely drown in sorrow… And though the battle would not soon come to factorial, the world above was badly ravaged, and the tundra of freezeland and the canyon to the east both came under the control of Fallen Devimon, with all the benefits enslaving the Yukidarumon race would give added to his mighty army, and it seemed Angemon would back fall to darkness with even the slightest push…

And for that reason, Miyako energetically leaped over to Takeru's digimon, and so they met once more, the old and new protectors of the light, so very similar in so many ways…

"Miyako-chan… You've fought well…" Angemon began, as Miyako scratched her head and wondered what Takeru's digimon was being so serious about… "I'm not sure how much longer I can last… Please, protect this world's hope…"

"Ne? Isn't Sora-chan protecting him?" Miyako asked, and Angemon sweatdropped…

"I didn't just mean Takeru-kun. When it comes to Devimon, even he's not that hopeful…" Angemon responded, a brief look of sadness coming when Sora's name was mentioned… "I want you to always keep fighting, to always provide hope to this world's digimon even when Takeru fails…" Angemon said, pulling something out from within his wings… "Here, take this."

"That's the Digimental of hope, isn't it? I can't take that, it belongs to Takeru-kun… His hope's not gone completely, I mean, you're still in adult form, right?"

"Takeru's hope is hanging by a thread, and I assure you my becoming Pegasmon won't be needed in the near future… But Hawkmon, he can't fight much to begin with, and hope always has a way of triumphing… I'm sure you can make the Digimental glow, and maybe, just maybe, it will bring us victory…" Angemon responded, flying off… "Goodbye, Miyako-chan, and please save this world…"

_I've done what I must… At least now, even if I bring about Takeru's fall, there's still hope for this world… At least this way, I can afford to fail…_

_He doesn't even trust himself, and he's deceiving Takeru to get this to me, afraid he'll destroy the one source of hope Takeru has left… I can't say why he trusts me so much, but… I'll use this well, though I pray I'll never have to…_ Miyako thought sadly, remembering the horrors of war, remembering their former leader… "I guess Daisuke's death never really hit me until now… All we can hold these days is factorial, and in the halls of Overdell, I'm sure something horrible is afoot!" She cried, tears flowing down her long purple hair… "We can't win… Without Mugen Dramon and Lady Devimon on our side, we never stood a chance… He'll break them, and when those cannons are turned on the digital world, it will be exactly as we once feared, only this time with all of evil united… The way things are now, the barriers broken, the gods themselves couldn't stop them!" She yelled, as the tears still flowed…

And in the halls of the grey lord's mansion, a horrible thing indeed occurred… Mugen Dramon tried to stop it, but his cannons were moved, and if he fired the only one killed would be Lady Devimon. And Lady Devimon herself was going through horrible pain indeed, bats ripping at her pale skin… It would only be a matter of time until they broke, black gears weren't the only method Fallen Devimon used to control others… Seiryu himself was barely holding on, the chosen had retreated to factorial, and none would save her… "Fire!" Lady Devimon yelled, prepared for her end… "Mugen Dramon, strike me down, and use those cannons to level this place! It's this world's only chance!"

The mechanical dragon stood silent, refusing to shoot… "What the hell are you waiting for!" Lady Devimon yelled out, a tear dropping from her eye… "If you don't fire, we'll all be killed!" She added, and then a thought soon came to her… "That time… Kabuterimon… What if that wasn't just a missed shot? Is it possible he's not entirely under my control?" She thought, and the ultimate-level digimon shut down, despite her constant protests…

"Now, traitor, I wonder what your fate shall be…" Fallen Devimon mused, a clawed hand grasping her face, and Lady Devimon let out one final, horrible shriek.

And as the demon lord made yet another triumph secure, Takeru recoiled in fear, and then leapt to his feet, determination clear on his face. "I must…" Takeru began, and then shook his head. "No, this isn't about what I must do. I intend on confronting him regardless. There will be no more running away, no more appeasing his bloodlust with the lives of innocent digimon! I will face Fallen Devimon today, and as long as I am able, I won't let him run away again!" He yelled, bursting out the door…

"Takeru-kun…" Sora said calmly, in sharp contrast to Takeru's rare burst of emotion. "Say what you like, but I know what's behind this… Hikari-chan did the same thing with Vamdemon after all, even if she didn't hide it like you do."

Takeru did not seem to hear her, as he merely turned and left the fortress, prepared to meet his fate.

_I have to stop him… I can't let him die. I have to do something…_

A hopeless battle that could not be won. One human child, alone, against Fallen Devimon's vast army? It might as well have been suicide, for how good his chances were.

And as he left, unbeknownst to him, an angel digimon trailed him from above, as it seemed Miyako would indeed be the digital world's last hope.

"_I must do this… Forgive me, Sora-chan, forgive me, Angemon… For the sake of the digital world, please… Let me do this, only then can Fallen Devimon be stopped."_ Takeru silently wished, prepared to meet his fate.

"Devimon-sama?" A Bakemon asked meekly, knowing full well of Fallen Devimon's reputation.

"What is it?" He asked lazily, clearly annoyed by the Bakemon's slowness.

"The bearer of hope has arrived." The undead digimon said gravely, and Fallen Devimon stood up.

"So be it… This doesn't seem like the right day for revenge, but I don't mind it much." The demon responded, getting to his feet and walking slowly out of the Grey Lord's mansion.

_Takeru… We'll see what your foolish hopes are capable of. After what you and Angemon put me through, you too shall know my suffering, I swear it._

_Devimon… For the sake of this world, you must be stopped!_

And so, as a chilling wind blew by the graveyard at Overdell, Takeru and Fallen Devimon faced each other, each prepared for the confrontation ahead of them, as Angemon and Sora raced to the field of battle.

"Even your appearance has been sacrificed, is their anything you won't do in your lust for power?" Takeru said, glaring at Fallen Devimon's hands, one tentacled and the other metallic, and neither having any flow with the body behind it.

"Do you plan on insulting me, or are you going to attack?" Fallen Devimon taunted, and Takeru put a hand to his sheath, and a small, silvery edge could be seen as he opened it.

Then, as Fallen Devimon was fixated on the sword-draw, he flicked an exploding pebble towards the distracted evil one.

"If you intend on attacking me, do it with a weapon that can actually harm me." Fallen Devimon answered, as the pebble was a direct hit on the face, but when it detonated Fallen Devimon was no more weak then before it was shot.

"I'm the bearer of hope, desperate attacks are what I do." Takeru responded, as Fallen Devimon prepared to at last avenge himself.

"Quickly, Angemon, there's not much time!" Sora yelled, desperate to save the one she loved…

"I'm flying as fast as I can!" Angemon shouted.

_But even if we get there in time, I've never seen Takeru this determined, and victory here is impossible… He's doomed, no matter how hard we try to avert it… We can't win…_

And from far away, they heard the attack… "Hell's beam of destruction!"

"Heaven's Knuckle!" Angemon cried out, desperately firing into the darkness… "Can Piyomon warp evolve?"

"Not enough energy…" Sora answered sadly, shaking her head… "He doesn't have a chance…"

"He knows…" Angemon answered… "He knows he'll lose, but he's still throwing his life away!" He yelled, tears flowing freely…

"An orange light?" Takeru asked, looking up at the beam that saved his life, as he lay on the ground helpless before his adversary. "Angemon… He came… Why couldn't they just let me die in peace? His defeat is impossible, our only chance would be that granting him revenge would appease his spirit!"

At that moment, Angemon returned to his batlike child form, and Sora plunged from the sky, landing painfully on the ground below…

"He's lost all hope…" Sora said, looking sadly beyond… "I'll have to save him, I'll take his crest upon myself if I have to!" She yelled, holding out her digivice.

"Piyomon, warp shinka! Hououmon!" The digimon yelled, and a bursting light emanated from the phoenix. "For the sake of Sora's love! Starlight Explosion!"

And with Fallen Devimon shielding his eyes from the bright flames, Hououmon put her golden wings above Takeru, then grasping him in her beak… But Angemon, Fallen Devimon's desire for revenge was certainly great enough for him to immediately recognize the six-winged angel's form…

And so it happened, a digimon who ended up not being needed in the slightest to save Takeru, a digimon who could have, and should have returned, were it not for the desire not to protect the light, but to atone for his own momentary fall to darkness… But heroic or merely driven by regret it ended just the same…

A piercing black claw, rushing towards him… Angemon brought his staff up half-heartedly, almost welcoming death's sweet release, no matter who's hands the death was brought by…

Then the claw pierced his neck, blood dripped down his white robes and wings, blue trim, and golden hair, and the digimon's form was annihilated, with only feathers left behind…

"Angemon…" Takeru said, taking one look at the remains of his digimon, and then softly began to gather up his feathers…"We've gone through so much…"

"_When I first saw him… Patamon, struggling so much against those same horrible claws, and then the light burst through… And then, his first death, but at least that time Devimon was defeated…_

_Those happy memories… Few and far between, then again, he only did appear when he was needed… Devimon, Vamdemon, Piemon, he protected me from all of them… Still, frolicking around with him as Patamon, or even just calling him to show off against a Guardromon…_

_He's dead now, the very thought that troubled my sleep back when Black War Greymon was destroying the Holy stones… I couldn't bring myself to fight half the time, not really until he jogressed into Shakkoumon, which had enough armor to survive almost anything… At least he fought this battle against my wishes, at least it's harder to blame myself for this… But still, it was to rescue me…_

_Angemon… If not for you, I don't know what I'd have become… For forging me into who I am, and for all the memories you've given me…"_ He thought, and then in a barely audible whisper, he spoke…

"_Arigatou, Angemon."_ He added tearfully, as he flew away from Overdell, flew away from the place where he died, a heavy sorrow in his heart… "Angemon… I'll never forget you… And I will make Devimon suffer for this!"

_Someday… But for now, it remains far beyond my ability…_ He thought, as the mansion passed out of sight, and then lay down to rest, knowing he would forever remember this day…

And with Angemon dead and Takeru sure to feel an all-consuming sorrow, Miyako truly would be the digital world's last hope…


	3. An eternal stalemate, a blossoming love

Author's notes: I'm not really attempting to create a mighty epic digimon fic that has no ongoing plot whatsoever, it just looks like it Future author's notes will come at the end of chapters.

_Angemon… You will not be forgotten…_

Every one of the chosen children has their crest, and all of them represent that trait within the digital world… Daisuke and Taichi were the courage of the digital world, and until Hikari bravely stood up to follow her brother's path, without them, all they would do was flee. When Yamato turned to darkness, the rest of the chosen were sundered apart, battling each other bitterly and trusting no one, creating wounds that still have not healed.

When Takeru loses hope, the damage to the digital world is great indeed, far greater then all Vamdemon and the Kaiser put together could bring upon it… For at least then, they still had hope, they still had the will to fight… And after seeing his worst fears unfold before him and with no digimon left to help, Takeru losing hope was inevitable… The only question was whether Love could return Hope to the digital world, or in less abstract terms, if Sora could get Takeru to hope for the world once more, if the strength of her feelings were yet powerful enough… But for all she's done, she was still human, and it would soon prove time for her own weakness to surface…

Then again, with the time of the digimentals, there were two holders of love. And perhaps it would be the other one that would restore hope to the digital world, perhaps by protecting Light from the all-consuming darkness…

For Fallen Devimon was not the only evil in the digital world. For there were ultimately more then one threatening the ability of all digimon to live their lives in peace and happiness, and not just an empty threat, but an old one as powerful as the gods…

But ultimately, these would not be the only ones with a major role to play… Yamato Ishida, seemingly willing to do anything so Gabumon could be reborn, detested by the rest as a backstabber, but now only trying to revive one of the only ones killed by his backstab and fall… Mimi Tachikiwa, still the pure-hearted pacifist, and the Panjyamon that had turned from her protector to her love… A hybrid by the name of Felis, who in a different time might have been thought of as the thirteenth chosen, and the so-called "Protectors of the digital world" determined to save their home, humanity be damned. Koushirou Izumi, with what was seemingly a worthless trait in these dark times, powerless to do a thing to save Kabuterimon, his grudge against Lady Devimon sure to come up at the worst possible time… Ken Ichijouji, the once and future Kaiser, still trying desperately to hold onto the light, and Wormmon, the digimon sworn to ensure he remained his kind self. Jou Kido, still distracted with his studies in the human world, still unaware his Sincerity would be needed once more. Lady Devimon, the she-devil turned to light by Hikari, her desires seeming to have turned from revenge to love… Iori Hida, sincere and inquisitive in a world where it seems no others were, still with so little trust in the chosen… And of course, Hikari Yagami herself, the reluctant lone light in the darkness, still forgetting her own desires for the happiness of others, still incredibly fearful of the dark undersea master.

Every one of them would prove needed, every one of them had a vital role to play before this war could end… And ultimately, all of their stories would impact the digital world in ways that would last for centuries, each one of them would prove necessary for creating this world's eventual fate, and the battle for the fate of the worlds would not only be fought by four humans and three digimon.

But which way would they turn? The choice between light and darkness is not always clear, and human or digimon, we all have our weaknesses. And even if they all chose light by some miracle, why, most of them had already fought together so bravely and failed so horribly, victory was still only a faint hope…

That, or the simple memory of Takeru's lost hope can make a supposedly impartial narrator make things look far more gloomy they are, but when all digimon had as little hope as said narrator, his point was probably an accurate one anyway…

Still, there would always be those who focused on grudges, those who's trust had been so badly broken they could never view certain others as anything but the enemy ever again. And after all he had done, and after seeing the Kaiser in Ken once more, Iori Hida was one of those people…

"I know, he's one of the chosen and all, and I shouldn't hold grudges…" Iori said, cutting downward with his wooden sword… "But I still can't trust him, and I'm still afraid that if I don't stop him, he'll do it again…"

"Who knows, but we really can't afford not to trust him da'gya." Armadimon responded, the plated digimon having seen so much of what the Kaiser had done… "If he does turn on us, the digital world is doomed either way da'gya."

Iori sweatdropped and muttered a comment about how some statements simply should not be followed up with da'gya, no matter how programmed in it is for the armadillo digimon to do so.

"Sorry, da'gya." The Armadillo responded, and Iori could only face-fault, which when done when practicing sword technique can lead to rather painful results, as he was soon to learn as he cried out in pain.

As for Ken Ichijouji, the battle for his soul still raged within…

_I've caused so much pain…_

_But can a kind and gentle being save this world?  
_

"Ken-chan…" Wormmon said, nuzzling the bearer of kindness's leg… "Please…"

Ken Ichijouji did not know why he reacted as he did, perhaps merely a reflex, perhaps a darker part of his soul that finally began to arise… "But that doesn't matter… How could I do this to him again?" Ken asked, running over to the injured Wormmon, the digimon he so casually kicked away… "I'm so sorry! Please, forgive me Wormmon!" He yelled out, tears dropping down his face… "What have I done…"

"You're forgiven…" Wormmon answered happily, glad that at least for now, his fears had not been realized, as his human partner embraced him once more, or perhaps one last time…

_Digimon Kaiser, or kind-hearted chosen… Which path will he take?_ Iori wondered from afar, prepared to slay him if it was the former… _"Taichi and Daisuke are dead, Jou-sempai was the sincere one and he disappeared, Yamato, Ken, Hikari… Hikari may have redeemed herself, but I'm still not sure I can trust anyone…"_ Iori thought sadly, still curious as to whom he would soon have to fight…

And from deep in the dark ocean, Dagomon's attention diverted, as Hikari, even exhausted as she was, was far from the easiest among the chosen to turn to his rule… But Ken, the former Kaiser, so near being consumed by his own darkness, why, he would certainly fall, it was only a matter of how soon, and whether it would be soon enough…

Meanwhile, Fallen Devimon looked upon the spot of Angemon's death, and let out a horrible, horrible laugh, which would forever torment those who had the misfortune to hear the sound of his triumph… But at least if he was laughing, he wouldn't be out fighting, and at least for that moment the digimon of the world could continue to live…

But Fallen Devimon's time to bring death was not now… There were always more digimon of darkness, especially now with the gates between the worlds broken… And even if it seemed Dagomon merely slept, his machinations were far beyond that, and the Kaiser had to return, but how?

"A battle sparked that required extensive brutality to win? Would that work? A digimon that simply would not fall easily, something he would have no choice to kill… Yes, maybe if he was made to kill again…" Dagomon thought, and one of the deep ones surfaced, knowing nothing more then that he was to disguise himself as a Hangyomon to slay a human by the name of Ken Ichijouji who held the crest of kindness... Knowing nothing of his fate.

And as the deep one attacked, Ken knew nothing more then that an attempt on his life was being made. After all, they're called beings of the darkness for a reason.

But of course there was a hidden motive behind it, and the results of the attack would surely bring much suffering to this world… It seemed simple enough, almost routine… Wormmon evolved, then attacked, Ken displaying little if any emotion in the process… It might have just been a random encounter in some video game, for all the difficulty it brought…

But there was that one thing that was different, different then killing Dark Tower digimon, or monsters in some video game that were little more then bits of statistics… For the deep one ultimately wanted to live.

After all, he knew digimon were living creatures now, he couldn't just kill them endlessly thinking it a harmless game…

"Please… Don't kill me…" He begged, but Ken seemed not to care…

"Do it, Stingmon." He spoke coldly, having this odd urge to crack his non-existent whip, then pounding his head for thinking such things…

"Spiking Finish!"

And as Ken finally killed again, Angewomon had a distinct look of sorrow, trying to imagine the pain Fallen Devimon would inflict… "Hikari-chan, I need to go now…"

"Where to?" The bearer of light asked innocently, still not seeming to notice her serious tone...

"I owe her this, at least…"

"Huh?" Hikari asked, still not having the slightest grasp of what her digimon was referring to…

"It's Lady Devimon… She fought in that battle to protect you, something I should have done to begin with…" She said, regret clear in her voice… "Besides, I've caused her so much harm, I have to make it up to her…"

"Angewomon… I'm going with you…" Hikari responded, determined… "I can't let you throw your life away, and besides, I'm the one who brought her to our side to begin with."

"Please stay, Hikari-chan… I'm nearly certain to lose, and Lady Devimon will most likely be tortured to death… But we've lived long lives, and this eternal struggle is really all we've always had."

Hikari nodded in understanding, but still wasn't willing to back down…

"Hikari-chan… You still have hope, you still have a chance to find happiness without me."

"You mean with Miyako-chan?" Hikari asked, blushing… "You want me to forsake you?"

"I want your happiness, that's all." She said, flying downward and kissing the bearer of light on the lips… "So please, for my sake, be happy…" She finished, and flew away as Hikari looked onward…

"_No… I can't leave her… I know, everyone wants me to stay, no one wants me to fight this battle, my strength must be conserved… But I can't let her fight alone… I can't lose her…"_ She thought, walking over to the second bearer of love and purity… "Ne, Miyako-chan, know how to fight the ultimate evil without anyone else knowing?"

"Well, there's the traditional "Disguise yourself with mask and robes of darkness" method, but that won't work 'cause your attacks and glowing will give it away." The purple-haired girl answered, pondering… "What about using a digimental?"

"Humans? Use digimentals?" Hikari asked, having no clue what Miyako was talking about… "Wait, I heard something from Takeru about it at Grey Lord's mansion…"

Miyako nodded. "It's possible, and it gives enough armor no one will realize who the heck you are. You want to protect Angewomon, don't you?"

_To protect Angewomon… Is that what I want? Yes, I want her to be safe… But…_ She thought, horrible visions running through her head… _He'll attack me again… I'll lose everything… Even imagining it I can't stand, he still brings me so much fear…_

_No, I have to do it… I'll save Angewomon, I'll face my fear…_ She thought, and that which Daisuke had died to give her finally proved needed, as a spiked egg emerged from her D-Terminal, which she eagerly grasped…

"Ano… What do I say, "Hikari Shinka" or something?"

"I used a random dragonlance reference, but I don't think invoking Qinglongmon's name to get the damn thing to open works for all digimentals, and I doubt just yelling "Shinka" works." Miyako responded, scratching her head… "Ultimately, I have absolutely no idea!" She yelled, and Hikari face-faulted.

"Fine then…" Hikari yelled, clasping her hands together before the digimental… "Please, aid me…"

And so the digimental opened, and Hikari became clad in flame, with a Fladramon-esque mask and a long silvery spike bursting from her hand, while bright blue kneepads with the symbol of courage upon them covered her knees. Thick fire covered her upper chest, shoulders, arms, and lower regions, while a looser flame covered her lower chest and legs, occasionally revealing the figure underneath, as Miyako blushed in admiration.

"Miyako-chan, what is it?" Hikari asked innocently, as her friend looked away and hid her nosebleed… Shrugging, she jumped away, too concerned about Angewomon to waste any time flirting with Miyako or anything like that… Miyako followed, remembering the words Angemon spoke to her…

"To protect the hope of the digital world, even when Takeru fails… I'm still not quite sure what Angemon meant by that, but Hikari does seem to be the only one left, so I'll help her…" Miyako thought, holding up her digivice to Hawkmon and flying after… "Besides, it's not just about duty. She's my closest friend, and I do care for her, in more ways then one…"

Still, there's a lot at stake, I know how much this world means, how much digimon have suffered… So many, trying so hard for the future of this world, and all I can think about is Hikari-chan… And I'm supposed to hold the crest of purity, but my motivations aren't entirely pure of heart… Every battle, we all stake so much on it, all trying so hard to succeed, and innocent digimon are always caught in the crossfire, trying heroic gambit after heroic gambit, breaking down from the stress of it all, or just enjoying final moments with the ones they love…" Miyako mumbled, as Aquilamon flew there. "Even if my motivations aren't entirely pure, I do love Hikari-chan, and I do want to save this world… Ultimately, isn't that what matters?"

"_So, it seems another battle is at hand…"_ He thought, looking at the Aquilamon flying above…_ Another struggle, another draw… Ever since he returned, it's been this way, a bunch of battles deciding nothing… But this stalemate can't last forever, something has to give, and I doubt the collapse will be from Devimon's side. We can't win…_

"You're wrong…" Another one spoke, his voice having a wise tone to it… "The chosen grow ever-stronger by the day… Devimon doesn't notice it, and he's killing so many he thinks they can't last much longer… But this war is far from over, and defeat is far from certain…"

"I can only hope you're right…" He answered, looking upward as what may just be his world's last hope flying past him…

Angewomon had the good fortune to arrive just as Fallen Devimon was trying to break Lady Devimon's spirit, at least having a chance to fight with her nearby, to perhaps free her without having to storm the gates and kill so many trying to keep her imprisoned on their evil master's orders… But it was not all for good, as she saw what had been done to the succubus digimon…

"Lady Devimon… I'm sorry, for all I've done to you…" She said tearfully, shooting a couple arrows to break her chains… "Please, leave this place!"

"Angewomon?" The nightmare soldier asked quietly, wondering if she was hallucinating… "What are YOU doing here?" She added, barely able to even show contempt…

"Lady Devimon, you're in no shape for another battle… Just run for it already! I can't hold him off forever…"

"I can't say I know what's gotten into you, but I'm in no shape to deny aid from anyone…" She gasped out, limping towards the exit, wings too hurt to let her fly, and probably too drenched with blood anyway…

"Angewomon…" Fallen Devimon said coldly, snaking a tentacle towards Lady Devimon, which Angewomon quickly knocked aside with her bow… "I didn't think you'd be throwing your life away to help HER escape."

"I've caused her enough pain, it's time I make up for what I've done…" She responded, silently wishing she had a staff like Angemon's to help repel the demon, as her current method of defense with the bow wouldn't exactly last…

"Hell's beam of destruction!"

Darkness, creeping closer and closer, as time seemed to slow down as the beam approached… But with time slowed down, so was her movement, she couldn't dodge or block…

_To think this is the end… It's almost like Wizarmon, taking an attack meant for someone else… But this is more duty then anything, and I have so very many things I regret… _She thought, until she noticed a slight flare from above… "Huh? What's that fire? It's clearly an attack, but who's wielding it?"

A masked woman, wearing the armor of courage… A quick, flame-surrounded dive, resembling what Fladramon once used to attack with… And Devimon reeled back in shock, losing concentration and having his attack fly harmlessly away… "Who are you? Wait, that armor… Hikari-chan!"

"So, this whole armor was pointless… Still, I'll save her…" She thought, gathering up flame in her claws…

_I tried to make her stay… _Angewomon thought, as the bearer of light took a swipe of Fallen Devimon's claw… _I tried to keep her out of this…_ She continued, as Hikari was wounded once more…_ But instead, she's relying on courage, like it did Daisuke or Taichi any good… She can't win…_

"Hell's beam of destruction!" Fallen Devimon cried out, and the darkness rose once more…

"Hikari-chan!" As Angewomon cried out, the blast of darkness hit, and the bearer of light dropped to the ground… "_If only she had stayed behind… It's just like with Wizarmon… No, worse, because at least when Wizarmon died I had someone…" _She thought, as another tear dropped… _Without Hikari, I have no one…_

"Heaven's arrow!" A desperate blast from the forgotten angel, trying to save her love… It struck the devil's palm, as black blood spurted from Fallen Devimon's hand… But Hikari could barely stand after the attacks she had just taken, and there was no chance of either victory or escape in their current condition… Perhaps the stalemate would be broken after all…

But Miyako Inoue still rushed to battle, Fallen Devimon had not time to rally his forces, and all they needed now was escape... If she arrived in time, the battle would be decided in favor of the side of light.

If not, the light of the digital world would be broken, and all would be lost.

And so Aquilamon flapped his mighty wings, carrying Miyako to battle, while hoping that somehow they'd make it before it was too late…

Fallen Devimon recovered, ignoring the pain in his hand, and attacked… Miyako, now more then ever glad she had learned to armor-evolve, threw a shuriken perfectly from the cemetery surrounding the halls of Grey Lord's mansion… Perfectly, in that it smashed the window, causing piercing shards of glass to distract the demon at the very least, while she jumped in for another attack…

The rest happened too quickly and chaotically to easily state what it was, and the darkness-based attacks didn't clarify things much either. But in time the battle ended, and when it had, they had all managed to escape, and finally obtained something they could call a "victory."

But it was not a grand victory, stopping Fallen Devimon's power eternally… It was a prisoner rescue without casualties, they'd have more strength for the next time, and that was indeed useful. But the war would continue, minor victories would not break the stalemate, and something would have to give…

However, the battle was over now, and the chosen could at least get back to the aftermath and their normal lives, or what passed for lives these days, isolated from their home world and in an underground mechanical city that seemed made only for combat…

Factorial Fortress was a cold place, after all, no grassy fields to stand in or sakura petals to blow past anyone… Just metal frame after metal frame, not exactly the place for love to usually blossom, heck, it seemed almost inhuman... Then again, this wasn't a city of humans anyway, but even most digimon had trouble adapting…

But the situation did call for it… Stuff always happens after a great victory, after all, and you can't help but grow close to the one who saves your life, especially if there were strong feelings before…

"Miyako-chan… She saved me after all, but still… It seems she has her own sorrow, and I just don't want that to remain…" Hikari thought, looking over to her friend… "I've never been the sort to make anyone sad… But now…"

"Miyako, Angewomon, whoever I pick it brings the other one sadness… And as for me, I'm just not sure who I care for… If only there was some other way, if only one of them could find another or something…"

"I can't bear to see anyone suffer, and usually that's something good… It's supposed to bring happiness to those around me, knowing someone who can't stand suffering and will always try to make you happy… But now it's more a curse then anything…"

"I want to love, who doesn't? To truly care for another, to find happiness whenever that person's around… It's what everyone wants, isn't it? But even if I do find love, it will be tainted by sorrow… If I do fall in love, I may find happiness with that person, but I'll have to live with the knowledge that it makes someone else I care for sad…

"Hikari-chan?" Miyako asked, but the bearer of light was deep in thought… "Hikari-chan?" She asked again, turning super-deformed and poking her, but to no reaction…

"_Miyako… I really should respond to her, but… I can't bring myself to do so…"_ The bearer of light thought, until a loving vision of them together shot through her head… "Why did I think of something like that? Am I to choose Miyako?"

"Either way, I'll find happiness, I know that… Either in Miyako's arms or Angewomon's, my life would be happy, seemingly complete… But come to think of it, I've never been the sort to think of such things…"

"Hikari-chan, are you there?" The super-deformed Miyako asked, continuing to poke.

_Am I? Wait, what the hell am I thinking about? Of course I'm here, my brain's really getting too philosophical…_ "Yeah, I am." The burdened one responded, upturning her mouth into a slight smile, and getting an urge to just embrace her or collapse into her chest…

_Still, I can't do that… Angewomon's gone through enough, I can't do that to her… If she sees it… I'll bring her so much sorrow… But…_

"_Even if I'm always thinking about others, even if it brings me sorrow later, I want a bit of happiness…_" She thought, embracing her and pulling the purple-haired girl into a kiss…

"_Hikari-chan, I thank you…"_ Miyako thought, feeling a happiness she had never felt before at last feeling like her first digimental belonged with her, not merely a mistake of the digital world… And as her heart rushed with happiness, she wished things could stay this way eternally…

"After all, I'd go through the dark ocean and back just to bring her happiness… To hold her in my arms, that's the best feeling I've ever felt. It's odd, I'm not used to finding happiness in this world… Sure, there have been the occasional times with Hawkmon, and I sure missed our adventures when they ended, but even soaring for the first time was just to go into battle… The digital world has always been a bittersweet place, after all… But now I can just lose myself in bliss, forgetting about my sorrows." She finished thinking, smiling as she pulled away from the kiss… "Ai shiteru, Hikari-chan…"

Hikari blushed and pulled away, regret still heavy in her heart, but still with the knowledge that she would forever reflect fondly on this moment… And maybe that memory would be enough, being able to think back on this time might always bring her happiness...

Were this another time, a time when Angewomon and Miyako were not romantic rivals, the closeness of the two jogress partners might just have been enough to bring about Valkyrimon. But they were, and ultimately either the jogress evolution would not happen, because one bond would always be strained… In the end, either one of them would feel sorrow, or both would, there could be no happy ending here…

But for now, at least two of them had found happiness, and that alone meant that the digital world was not yet doomed.


	4. A dilemma, to save the digital world

The loss of one's digimon always hits that person hard… The bond humans and digimon share is incredibly strong, and even if they are reborn, seeing your digimon destroyed before your eyes to protect you is not something anyone handles easily.

Combine that with hopelessness, a dreadful fear of precisely this happening, the death being brought on by a foolish attempt of his to stop Devimon alone, and a growing evil that threatened to ruin the entire digital world, and you had Takaishi Takeru's current predicament. Hope may save the digital world, but without Angemon to channel that power into, it may not be possible… And when one like Takeru loses hope, the results are too terrible to bear…

And so he continued to mourn and regret, with no hope left for the digital world…

_Angemon… I failed you…_

But might love indeed bring back hope? Isn't true love what makes people drag each other out of the darkness?

The answer was both yes and no, it couldn't be said… Why, Sora was as determined as anyone to save Takeru from the darkness within… But no one's life was easy, everyone had their own suffering, their own source of angst… And as long as Sora had hid it before, it could be restrained no longer…

Love is a complex thing, after all… Uncertainty is always its way, no matter how much people truly care for each other, no matter how much affection they show, people always have doubts… Did Takeru really feel that strongly? Would he be lost in his own darkness soon, or did his heart truly lie with the fallen Angemon? So many questions, so much doubt… And even if Hououmon could be brought out… The pain of unreturned love was still so very great, and she had more reason to doubt now then ever…

And it was that feeling which made the darkness within her grow once more.

Sure, there was no sorrowful moment… No walking away while she had collapsed into him, no departing on a long journey to become a wanderer once more… But like Kaoru in that series, she seemed equally paralyzed by doubt, and there would be no Megumi to snap her out of it.

"Takeru…" She said softly, seeming to gasp for air… "Who is it you truly want?"

_How can I compete with Angemon? They've been together so long, and even now, just his mere memory and a cradled digitama… And he doesn't think of me at all…_ She thought sadly, as the darkness continued to grow… _I know, I should be with him, trying to help him out, he's feeling so much sorrow, I just know it. But…_

_I can't bring myself to save him… I can't even make a real effort to stop the darkness from consuming him._

And so the darkness within each of them continued to grow, and their hearts were separated even further, too far away to bring each other to the light.

And it wasn't like there was another to help either of them. Angemon? He was just a digitama now, waiting in the endless cycle of rebirth. And as for Piyomon, these days, for what she represented more then anything else, Sora couldn't even look at her digimon without feeling sadness.

After all, love does have its dark side. There are few things happier then true love, and few things more depressing then unrequited love. And when one is feeling doubts about love, it is very painful indeed…

So it seemed Sora would soon break, and it seemed unless Miyako saved the digital world, all would be lost. The bearers of hope and love, neither of them seemed able to make their crests glow, to feel that which would bring them great happiness and perhaps save both worlds from darkness.

And Takeru was little better. "_Angemon…_" He thought, remembering back to that fateful battle, constantly running the memory over and over in his head. It seemed all he could see anymore, that claw through his neck, that failed block, and then his last final plunge to the ground below… _I'd like to say I was blameless, I did tell him to stay back after all. But he still threw his life away for my sake, and if he had never met me, if he had never met me he'd still be here!_ Takeru thought, shouting that last part to the cold, metallic sky, or what passed for it in that underground city.

_The darkness can't be stopped, it can't be done, victory is impossible. The digital world is doomed, it's only a matter of time…_

And there was no voice to speak out, no one to try to convince him otherwise. And with no one to snap him out of it and his own hope for the worlds destroyed, hopeless he stayed.

But then… There was one thought going through his mind, one flash within the memories of Angemon. A glimpse of the bearer of love, of Sora's smiling face… And at least he had one happy thought going through his mind.

_I should check on her… After all, she's the only one I have left, and she was the only one who could make me forget the darkness… Even if I'm the one who's really filled with sorrow._

But for all the sorrow Takeru didn't even yet realize Sora felt, it was still vast enough to engulf her, and the way things were going, she might be too deeply into darkness by then for Takeru's appearance to do anything about it.

Then again, Takeru is the bearer of hope, so it's never wise to say anything's impossible regarding him, not matter how impossible it may seem.

But taking a glimpse at Sora, seemingly paralyzed by doubt and fear, it was hard to see much in the way of hope in either world.

_Does he really care for me?_ A question so many have asked, in one way or another. And a question that was tormenting Sora's heart. The memories of all they had been through together seemed buried, and only the memory of her looking sadly on as Takeru rested in Angemon's embrace remained, the angel's white wings wrapped around the one she loved, but who seemed so very distant from her even now…

_Still, just moping around like this won't solve anything… I should at least go over, to see how he's doing or something, after all, I want to see him again so badly, perhaps I do love him…_

"_Did I just think that? Then again, what else can I call it?" _She thought, walking down the many halls in this building in search for Takeru. They passed one another, heads too close to the ground to notice, and then suddenly stopped and turned around, seeing the other's surprised face before them.

"Takeru?" Sora asked, glimpsing the bearer of hope, and then running up to him, forgetting all her uncertainty…

"Sora-chan…" Takeru responded, doing exactly the same, even Angemon's memory not enough to make him hold back, and so they fell into each other's arms, seeming happy at last, even with all the darkness spreading over the digital world…

Then again, that might just be part of what Sora's crest is truly capable of… And though happiness was still hard to come by in the digital world, even though the rest of the digital world was still being ravaged, at least there was one bit of sanctuary from the growing darkness that seemed like it would engulf this very planet.

After all, Fallen Devimon was the opportunistic type, and he was wise enough to realize that Angemon's death would give him time to strike. He had time to heal, after all, and there's nothing like a little enslavement of innocent digimon to replenish a faltering army, and a bit of genocide is always fun for beings of darkness.

And most of the chosen were in no shape to oppose him. Still, Iori Hida had a tendency to stand boldly before beings of darkness trying in a futile, unflinching attempt to save the digital world, so he would not be quite unopposed.

And so the conflict which would either be called "The battle of the frozen north" or "The icy massacre in Freezeland" began, though regardless of what name was used, there were still none who saw Fallen Devimon and his army of Sorcerymon flying over the tundra and still thought this would be a victory for the side of light.

Then again, Sincerity can be very strong indeed, and it was time for its first holder to return to the digital world. Education may be important, but both worlds were at stake, and the other eleven chosen disappearing off the face of the earth was something he was bound to find out eventually.

And as often happens in epic tales, said revelation was bound to happen at the most dramatic time, and so he rushed to battle in a desperate attempt to arrive before it was too late. The beeping sound of a forgotten D-terminal, a message from his successor, hoping he would at least get a little help for this battle. _Hold on, Iori-kun…_ He silently wished, knowing sending a message was pointless, as Iori was the sort to send a single desperate message and then rush to make a heroic, final stand.

"It may have been said the youngest would destroy me." Fallen Devimon said, looking down at the child beneath. "But I'm sure that meant Takeru, not Iori. A squirt like this with an Ankylomon and a bokken isn't going to be the one who brings me down." He added, sneering at the chosen far beneath.

"Don't be so sure." He responded, contempt clear in his voice. "I won't let you do this!"

"And how do you intend to stop me? I could let you and your digimon attack, and I wouldn't even be wounded in the slightest. I don't even need to fight someone as weak as you, when you could pound away at me without doing a bit of damage. Gears of darkness!"

The black gears flew, and Iori was absolutely powerless to stop them. Quickly grasping his digimental, he had his Armadimon evolve, but not even a perfectly timed "Gold Rush" could even crack the gears, let alone wound Fallen Devimon…

But still he stood, never being the sort to retreat, not before Black War Greymon, not before Oikawa, and not before this demon either. But no amount of sincere opposition or idealism to back it up would be enough, not even if what happened with Miyako's digimentals for him as well…

Back in the human world, the first bearer of sincerity finished his rush, arriving at a computer at last… "Digital gate, open!" He yelled, holding up his digivice.

_That's odd, the gate hasn't been closed to us chosen since Vamdemon's final defeat. Unless…_ He began, falling back in horror. "Damn… What sort of demon are they fighting now?" He cursed, knowing he should be protecting that world once more, but still unable to arrive there. Cut off from the world which had brought him so much, he resumed his studies, though he seemed distracted by events far, far away…

But in that faraway world, for all the suffering on the surface, at least Sora and Takeru could still find a bit of happiness, each resting happily in the arms of the other… But even as they gazed lovingly into each other's eyes, the darkness still grew in that world, and it seemed that factorial fortress would soon be the only free place in the digital world.

Fallen Devimon seemed unstoppable. The stalemate had certainly ended, attack after attack, too quick for them to even arrive in time to stop it, and more and more digimon fell under his control. It seemed the only limit to his power would be running out of black gears, they were now too widespread to even launch an attack on some sort of base, for Devimon's power was everywhere.

And for all Hououmon and Angewomon flew, all the attacks they made, they could not stop the blitzkrieg, or hold much in the way of territory in the digital world. Factorial Fortress grew some more, as it seemed there were now refugees from almost the entirety of File Island, and if those on Server and the other continents beyond knew of Fallen Devimon, they were thankful for the sea that separated them.

And even with no more Infinity Mountain to cast a shadow, it still seemed like Fallen Devimon's wings wrapped around the entire island.

But the chosen would still resist. And so they met once more, trying to come up with some desperate plan for these dark times, even though victory seemed impossible.

"We can't hold on to even the small parts of File Island we have. I don't like to say it, but unless we resort to desperate measures…" Koushirou began sadly, wishing he had miscalculated. "There is no way we can win."

"This is war, we have to be brutal sometimes." Yamato said coldly, knowing what must be done. "Factorial Fortress is the only place we have enough troops and defenses to" Yamato began, and Takeru leapt to his feet.

"No! I hate the darkness as much as anyone, but the digimon here have suffered enough!" _Especially after I tried that plan with Demon… I have enough blood on my hands for all of us._

"I don't like it either, but we need to free the digital world!" Yamato shouted back, leaping to his feet.

"If we do such a thing, there won't be any digimon left in the digital world! The casualties will be immense!" Takeru shouted back.

"The fortress is strong, we can hold out a very long time even if he finds this place, and it seems Devimon's still unwilling to attack the village of beginnings. It's not as large as it used to be, and I can't say I like it, but these days, this place might as well be the digital world." Hikari spoke, sorrow clear in her voice. "And I miss the rest of the world, and so many digimon want to return home… But we'll have to last here, we have to protect these digimon, that's all this world has left."

Yamato looked annoyed, wishing the others could realize what was necessary, but he was clearly outmatched.

"We will NOT let these digimon be killed in battle… And if you try to lure Devimon here, I will not hesitate to kill you." Takeru responded coldly, and for all the compassionate reasons behind his deeds, he seemed as cold-hearted and ruthless as his brother.

"Do you think such a thing would stop me, if that were my intent? You're not the only one willing to sacrifice everything for this world." Yamato answered, his tone equally cold as he began walking away.

"_You're not the only one willing to sacrifice everything for this world."_ Even as the meeting ended, even as he tried to simply relax while he could, those words would not leave him. _This world has meant so much to all of us… And fighting an enemy that cares this deeply for this world… Such a thing would be dangerous indeed… I'm not sure if I could even bring myself to strike him._

"Takeru-kun?" The bearer of hope heard, the high-pitched voice coming from the direction of his hat… He glanced upward, but he saw nothing.

_Damn, I'm hallucinating now as well… I'm so used to Patamon being around… _He thought, as a tear dropped from his eye… _How can I remain hopeful, when the one who gave me hope is dead? How can I hope, when my worst fears have come to pass?_

_I can't._

And it seemed so many others were asking the same question. Yamato, betraying all his friends but Gabumon, and then even Gabumon died. Sure, it was to save him, but… What did he have to live for now? How could Miyako remain pure for long, her feelings for Hikari as strong as they were? Love and Purity, some crests were not meant to be given to the same person. Hikari, still of the light, still knowing she would have to hurt either the digimon she cared so much for, or her closest friend.

And it still seemed even if the crests would glow, it would mean nothing in the realm of stopping Devimon… It almost seemed that a weight had been lifted from the chosen, simply knowing they could hold out here without fighting, without making their crests glow.

Or perhaps it had just been replaced with a far stronger one. The guilt of their defeat seemed far more crushing then anything, the knowledge of all the suffering they had caused. And for one chosen, he was determined to undo it and liberate the rest of the digital world, no matter what the cost…

_Or is it just so that I can search the ruins of Infinity that I want this? I do miss Gabumon so much…_

"Still, if I did such a thing Gabumon would hate me, and Takeru already does. But I know what I must do… I have to drive the darkness from the digital world!"

"And I have to stop you." He said, the figure too wrapped in dark robes to reveal much more then a face that seemed to be that of a human, though the ears were clearly catlike. "Humans will not save this world, even if the gods do choose them. You failed, you failed miserably, and I've seen enough digimon die while you failed to save our world."

"I haven't lost yet. At least I haven't given up the fight…" Yamato shot back, though a bit of doubt had crept into his voice.

"Right now, life is more important then some petty attempt at vengeance. Even if you free the digital world, who will be left to enjoy it?"

"The digimon will be reborn… This place will still have a future, that can't happen if the village of beginnings falls." Yamato said, the words trying to convince himself as much as they were the feline that confronted him.

"So you will sacrifice the living for the dead, let the digital world return to how it was six years ago?"

"Yeah."

"Do you really think that the digital world is only File Island, that the refugees here are only from one part of the digital world?" He spoke, and Yamato stepped back, finally realizing. "Or has your desire to see Gabumon revived made you willing to sacrifice half this world's population?"

Yamato tried to think up a retort, tried to think up some reason for him to continue this plan. After all, he wasn't the sort to back down to some random, insulting stranger, and he would like another battle, perhaps so he could finally get a free path to the ruins of infinity, perhaps simply so he could die nobly and have it not seem like he was hiding or running… But he could not, he had no answer, and so he stood silent.

The hybrid left, convinced his job was done. And so Yamato fell to his knees, wishing there was some way to find his digimon's egg, to at last return Gabumon to him… But he could not think of such a thing.

Perhaps the one who would be the source of Fallen Devimon's demise, the proverbial last light in the digital world, would not be a being of light at all.

On the surface, darkness ruled, but as a god in some far-distant universe once wrote, "Evil turns upon itself." And this was true indeed, no matter who the source of evil was.

The dark masters each tried to snuff out the chosen, one after another, but Piemon may have merely been sending potential rivals to their death. Belial Vamdemon, through his puppet Oikawa and the digimon he created, stole the dark seeds away from Demon. None freed Devimon from the whirlpool, Vamdemon let Etemon be slain even if it meant letting the chosen children gain their crests. Why, even in other worlds, though it may be simplistic to call Side three "Evil", Char did indeed slay the Zabi royal family, even as he piloted his mobile suit so well for their side. Or Nakago sending Ashitare to his death, or Suboshi killing Tomo for Amiboshi's sake, even though they served the same god. (Though perhaps that god was not a dark one, merely his followers…) Or even in the human world, so many despots fighting each other, until the western democracies united and drove despotism from large parts of the world.

Though the words had been spoken before, evil did indeed turn upon itself, or perhaps personal loyalties overcome darkness, and once more such a thing might indeed save the digital world.

After all, the evils that came from the dark ocean were not all the same. Be it lust for power, love of another, or a deep-seated grudge, someday the dark digimon would turn upon each other.

But that day did not seem soon. Lady Devimon may have joined the light, but there were no others who seemed willing to do so, and the bearer of light who had shown her so well merely rested wounded in factorial fortress, her heart torn between her jogress partner and close friend, and the digimon who had meant so much to her. No, there was no one this time to turn dark digimon to the light, nor was there anything to do but wait.

But no one wanted to wait. Sure, many were content like Takeru, determined to salvage what they could, but there were also many like his older brother, itching for battle. And even if it would be a foolish, ill-planned fight, they all wanted to go out and strike a blow at Fallen Devimon.

And so they marched, a massive army prepared to leave factorial, not just some minor raid, but an army prepared to finally win back some territory for the digital world, to strike a powerful blow against Fallen Devimon. And as they stood at the gates, the chosen stood opposite them, trying to convince them to stop.

"Please, stay here. We cannot beat the powers of darkness, if you go, all that will happen is that this fortress will lose so many that we could no longer defend this place." Takeru said, hoping they could be convinced.

The apparent leader of the army stepped forth, a hot-headed young Cyber Dramon. "We've relied on outsiders to defend our world for too long, it's time the digimon of this world fight." He began, speaking clearly and boldly. "The time has come for us to take back our world!"

Takeru wanted to resist, the strategic side of his brain still told him it was a mistake. But the way that digimon spoke reminded him of Daisuke, and the digital world needed that sort of courage right now.

He approached the army of digimon slowly, then turned around once he reached them, and one by one, the others did the same. And the gates of factorial fortress opened, and with an army of digimon behind them, the chosen began their march to retake the digital world!


	5. A revolution, true love, a final battle

In any world, there are those times one feels a revolution is at hand. Those times when the streets are running with idealists, where the common people have finally decided to risk everything to change the world, and it felt like they could not be stopped.

Something quite similar was happening on File Island.

"The end." Such very final words, words often met with relief by the characters, but with sorrow by the readers. And with the armies of digimon storming out of Factorial Fortress, it seemed clear something would soon end, and perhaps this tale could no longer be called "Fallen Devimon's saga."

The journeys of the chosen would never end, why, this was meant as a continuation, and it was meant to last. Ken's reversion to the persona of the Kaiser, Mimi's relationship with Leomon, so many things were left to finish, and this tale was one first created merely to continue another.

But change was in the air, and as the armies spilled out of Factorial Fortress, it seemed the final battle was certainly at hand, and even if the rest of the digital world was still going through hell, File Island would soon be free!

Or at least that was what they thought… But when has the digital world been a place of happiness? Defeat was always a possibility, after all, and the odds still favored their enemy… Good may be said to triumph over evil in some places, and it had indeed done so in the past, but… It was still far from certain.

But not one of them thought even of the concept of defeat, for revolution was indeed in the air. And even as they saw Fallen Devimon before them, saw the sight that had brought so many of them horror so long ago, they still bravely followed Cyber Dramon, convinced they could not lose.

Thousands of digimon, thousands of attacks, if they were all at the same time against the same digimon, especially with digimon like Hououmon and Angewomon showing their strength… Well, victory would be certain.

And if Fallen Devimon was the only one taking those attacks, it would indeed be a victory. But he too had massed an army, through the strength of the black gears, he had thousands of digimon of his own. And those digimon would fight back, they could not even control their bodies, they would not drop their arms and turn upon their master. This would not be the sort of revolution where the soldiers called in to stop it joined and turned their guns upon their masters, this would be one made with blood and the sacrifice of lives.

That said, the possessed digimon army attacked, Cyber Dramon's forces attacked back, and the final battle had begun.

The ground would run red with the blood of the digimon of the world, all would attack, and all would learn things through the chaos of battle. The survivors would emerge changed, the dead, why, if the bodies of digimon remained intact after death, there would not be enough to even bury them all. But as the fight continued, neither side gained any ground, the only thing that changed were the number of digimon fighting.

And as the Cyber Dramon watched this, even he began to have doubts… _What have I done?_

Takeru heard the digimon's thoughts, though he could not say why, he had to respond. _What have you done? _ _You've inspired us to finally take on Fallen Devimon. You brought us courage when we were hiding in our fortress, and I think you've saved this world._

Cyber Dramon smiled, then turned and faced the mass of Airdramon and Bakemon before him. "Erase Claw!"

Far away, on another of the emerging battle's flanks, Ken battled on, whip in hand, Stingmon fighting by his side. The weapon was useful in his hands, good for tripping lesser forces, and pain's always a good distraction in combat.

Still, he was going into battle again, wielding that very whip, trying desperately to avoid feeling any happiness as he whipped Gizamon once more, even if these were Gizamon possessed by darkness, he was killing them just the same, and he couldn't help but think back to that one time, building that dark tower in the snow…

And he was so caught up in the thrill of battle and the memories of his past that he barely noticed the fireball, and didn't look as it burst, didn't look as his digimon fell.

He continued to battle, fighting on without even realizing what happened, thrashing his whip about at the enemy digimon… He fought on, not hearing Stingmon's final words, ignoring his digimon once more...

Perhaps if he heard them he would have a happier future…

But he continued to fight, not seeming to notice as his hair turned a dark bluish shade or morphed itself into a spiked style, nor the bright blue color of his clothing, and even the yellow-trimmed navy cape and purple glasses seemed beyond his notice in the midst of combat…

And the battle continued, the armies still numerous, though less so then earlier. More digimon fell, the plants of the so-called "Native Forest" were choked with blood, and the clang of swords, buzz of thunder, and screams of darkness continued on, as more digimon clashed…

Mimi Tachikiwa, even if she was one of the chosen children, was not a fighter by nature. The memories of the past stayed with her, that column of light, the lion that shielded her…

But seeing so many digimon die once more, innocents who only wanted happiness, yet possessed by darkness, she still could not bring herself to fight, even as Panjyamon and Lilymon fought on…

Panjyamon was beautiful, after all. His smooth, icy fur, his ripped, leonine form… The bearer of purity blushed, slapping her head. _He's a digimon, and not like Angemon or something either, he's a feline, a furred beast! I shouldn't be attracted to someone like that!_

_But I do love him just the same… And isn't it natural to want the one you love?_

_I should fight… Lilymon and Panjyamon are both fighting so hard…_

And as the flowers and ice protected her, she wished the violence would somehow end, that the world could be saved without bloodshed…

But it was not to be, and so she cried, cried for every digimon that lost their lives on this battlefield, and it seemed that somehow, someway, at least their spirits were comforted...

Still, the bearer of purity couldn't even manage to cast a single healing spell, couldn't do anything to truly alleviate the bloodshed, and so she was truly, bitterly sad.

And in the center of the battle, Fallen Devimon stood imposingly above the bloody masses, but the phoenix digimon and two female angels, one six-winged with a revealing outfit, the other with white wings of as great size as that of Fallen Devimon's… And in the phoenix digimon's large, brown talons, two more chosen stood, one having become a swordswoman, the other an archer, each having taken up these weapons in their determination to help save that world. Or perhaps "to help save their world." Would have described it better… On a nearby eagle, an armored girl stood courageously, Miyako Inoue as determined as all of them, even if she was nearly powerless.

Hikari, Angewomon, Hououmon, Sora, Takeru, Miyako, Aquilamon. And on the other side, Fallen Devimon, the demon who had brought so much agony.

The time of waiting was over. "Hell's beam of destruction!"

"Crimson Flare!"

"Heaven's arrow!"

"Blast Laser!"

"Double Shuriken!"

The attacks collided, a rainbow of light against an all-engulfing darkness. The flames crimson in shade, the red rings that paralyzed, both overwhelmed, the arrows and shuriken disappeared into the void, and that arrow Takeru shot silently missed the mark…

If they were paying more attention to their opponent, they would have heard a cry of pain, a pain which cut through Fallen Devimon's shoulder and made his tentacled arm useless. But they were all far too busy falling to the ground and trying to land safely to focus on combat, survival is always a stronger instinct…

Aquilamon was wounded badly, throwing Miyako wounded and behind the battle lines, digimon fought in front of her, but not near her. She would survive, though the wounds would be vast, perhaps too painful to bear.

The eagle itself plunged into the forest, but it was still big, it could fight on with size alone. Survival, on the other hand, was a different matter entirely.

Hououmon fell as well, her enormous wings shielding Sora and Takeru. It seemed on its feet at the very least, still battling, but trying to protect her human partner and the one that girl loved.

Angewomon's wings were torn, her clothing tattered, good for fanservice, perhaps, but fighting on would be suicide. She clenched her exposed arm, trying to at least get up and provide some ranged support, hopefully she wouldn't be seen.

Hikari slowly rose from the trees, a semi-transparent ball of white light wrapped around her body, seeming to shield her from the surrounding darkness.

"Devimon. You have brought death upon the digimon in this world, ruining so many lives. And if you are allowed to live, you will only bring ruin to more." She spoke majestically, in a voice reminiscent of that of Angemon, as the demon digimon thought back to his first end, to the words Angemon spoke…

_The forces of good are more powerful. Even you can't stop us. I'll destroy you and bring peace to the island._

_Your powers have gotten far out of control and must be extinguished! I am ready to fight for peace!_

Those words, that determination… Devimon had seen it before, heard a similar heavenly voice.

And it was only weeks ago that he had recovered from that last encounter…

Shielding his eyes, the black-winged demon regained his composure. "And you'll stop me, O mighty Numemon queen?"

Hikari's face contorted into something resembling rage, preparing for the next barb…

"And not only did you fail to save the Numemon, your fear was so great you weren't even willing to wield your power until after they were all dead. And what if you do so now, do you think the light will somehow cleanse the darkness and restore this island? You're no Angemon, your humanity is your weakness."

"The light heals." Hikari said flatly, once more unflinching before the darkness. "It does not destroy any but those like you, those who are so in love with evil and hate that they care not how much suffering they bring!"

"Like it healed the Numemon, or perhaps the Deepmon?" Fallen Devimon taunted, and Hikari's light turned into a bursting nova, which she soon redirected, sending the entirety of her light at the grotesque devil digimon.

"So you will fight." Devimon responded, and after some motions with his hands, a beam of black light surrounded by a reddish buffer between it and the night sky sped into the nova-like burst.

It pierced the light, pierced the chosen of light, and sped through the back of both herself and the sphere, as Hikari fell softly to the ground once more. But as she fell, she channeled the remains of that light into a mighty white laser, which she shot towarsds the demon with the last ounce of her strength.

And as it pierced Fallen Devimon's leg, Hououmon shot upwards, the golden phoenix determined to stop him. While Sora and Takeru embraced one another in the ultimate-level digimon's talons, the phoenix unfurled her four golden wings, charging them up with red flame.

Her armored head gazed at the demon, red and purple feathers trailing behind it, and Fallen Devimon looked back, then took aim at the bird's talons, even as he knew what awaited him.

"Hell's beam of destruction!" The same attack he had used so many times before, deflecting harmlessly off the firebird's brown claws.

"Starlight…" The phoenix began, as her normally golden wings were red with bright flame. "Explosion!"

And in an attack of searing heat, after strong efforts from Hikari, Sora, Takeru, and even Miyako, facing a phoenix brought upon by the love Sora and Takeru shared, Devimon finally perished.

But the battle had not yet ended. The black gears still functioned even after Devimon's death, and in time, Cyber Dramon's forces were crushed. A new leader had taken command of the army of darkness, a new enemy, an old friend, and an old enemy at once. The Kaiser had returned to the digital world.

And as the defeat was seen, even as Iori threw his life away confronting the Kaiser one last time, Angewomon and Miyako both looked over Hikari's wounded body… "Take good care of her…" The angel digimon pleaded, preparing a spell.

"Angewomon?" Miyako asked, as the angel digimon lay upon Hikari's body one last time…

"Live, Hikari-chan… Please live…" She said, collapsing on top of the bearer of light, as her energy was sapped away…

Hikari Yagami opened her eyes, only to watch Angewomon fade away. And as she tearfully collapsed into Miyako's chest, the saga of Fallen Devimon could truly be said to have ended.

But the Kaiser still lived, the digital world was still in great danger, and the journeys of the remaining chosen children were not yet over.

The path of a chosen child is a sad one, they are doomed to always see tragedy after tragedy, fight against the darkness with few victories, and even those few are bittersweet. But at least they had won.


End file.
